HOPE
BOAT
Psalm
42
Verses 11:
“Why are you so downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me? Put
your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
Devotion 714, Through
God’s Eyes, showed how to begin understanding what is God’s will. This empowers believers to pray with
confidence for the things that we want in life.
Our heavenly Father wants all good things for His kids. And He welcomes hearing our dreams and goals.
What happens when our dreams and goals are left unfulfilled?
As children, we begin a hope boat. We pile the boat high with desires and dreams
as we grow up. Fourteen year old Michael
dearly wants to play football in the NFL.
His little ten-year-old brother Jeremy watches with wide eyes how
Michael reaches every goal. Both
brother’s expectations are high for football success.
Michael dreams of making the varsity football squad in
eleventh grade…so he began praying for mom and dad to send him to football camp
next summer. Michael knows that he needs
to learn and build football skills from now on.
How else would he beat out the other eleventh graders to make the varsity
team?
Eventually, Michael dreams that scouts would watch him
play…and he’d be offered a college scholarship to play football. Surely, mom and dad would appreciate financial
help for tuition, room and board.
College is expensive! That fills
Michael’s hope boat of dreams and expectations.
Jeremy also wants what Michael wants.
Naturally, their parents want what would make their sons
happy. But their hope boat for them is filled
differently. Football success is on the
bottom of their hope boat of dreams for their sons. What’s piled on top are faith in and reverence
for God. They add good health, respectfulness,
honesty, reliability and decency.
In short, the boys want success in playing football. Their parents hope that both sons will be
respected and admired. While these hopes
are all admirable, God’s plans are always best.
Wise believers pray for life’s desires, then ask God to shape goals to
agree with His will….People’s hopes and dreams change with time.
It’s safe for believers to rest in God’s wisdom and keep
our hope in Him.
Contentment and happiness only comes when hope lies in God.
Take
Home Nugget
Maybe God does want
the same thing for the brothers and their parents. Maybe not.
But hope is secure only when aligned with God’s will. Feelings, wishes and personal preferences are
not reliable for securing hope—and usually end with unfulfilled expectations. Even when hope is based on a scriptural
promise, people may not dictate when or how it’ll be fulfilled.
Is your hope boat secured in God, or
your own expectations?
J.D. Griffith
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What an honor it is to meet you!
My background is a life time of worship, but seriously following Jesus came with age. Spiritual maturity is a leap of faith. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until living on the edge of God’s leading. My life of self sufficiency ended abruptly when losing my job as an analytical chemist after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now living on the edge of God’s leading has become a way of life that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
Surrendering one’s will to the Lord can be scary. Why did I wait so long to do it? Diving into an intimate relation with the sovereign God of creation is the most secure position in the universe. Will you share your experience with me? Will you let me give you my testimony? May I introduce you to the Jesus I know?